Hi I just got a bearded dragon a couple of weeks ago maybe three and he was eating good and was active for the first week but now he refuses to eat. I got him a tank mate a week ago and they didn't fight or anything they even sleep together. His tank mate doesn't have any issues with eating and he is usually very active. But my other bearded I noticed that he had lines all over his stomach, is it stress marks? What do I do? His light bulb is a power sun 140• and his substrate is rabbit pellets. His tank is 40 gallons and is glass. I give him fresh food and water every day and he has a hide two logs (to bask on) and a reptile hammock.

It sounds like something might be up with him, especially if he went from eating well to not eating. What have you been offering as food? It's possible he ate one of the pellets and got impacted. Has he been pooping at all? You may want to replace the substrate with something solid like non adhesive shelf liner or even newspaper for now.

How far above the basking area is the PowerSun? Is it a 100w or a 160w? I don't think they have a 140w version as far as I know. The different wattages require different distances for proper UVB exposure which is quite important. Temperature range is also quite important. What are the surface temps in the basking area and on the far side of the tank?

I think introducing a second dragon may be more harmful than helpful. A second dragon may not be outwardly aggressive (at least not at first) but may monopolize resources such as basking areas and food, increasing stress and harm to the other dragon. It's best that they each have their own separate space.

I believe the first dragon is being bullied / dominated by the new dragon, essentially it's using body language to intimidate it and the first dragon is too scared to eat with the new dragon in the same viv .

You have no choice here, the pair MUST BE SEPARATED IMMEDIATELY.

If not separated things will only go down hill and sooner or later the dominance behaviours and territorial behaviours will become violent and the timid dragon will fail to thrive and it will be viciously attacked and mauled by the other dragon who may even kill it

I don't know you financial situation .If the current viv is large enough (say 3ft to 4ft long x 2ft wide ) an easy solution if the dragons are both only hatchlings or juveniles (under 12 months old) is to partition / split the existing viv into two twin side-by-side mirror image partitions using a piece of plywood or MDF . In this case the same basking light can be used by both dragons and you'll either need another 26W UVB200 or equiv UVB compact in another reflector dome or nano-style reflector hood.ORyou can move the dominant dragon into new Viv and stack the two vivs so neither can see each other.ORyou do as shown in this cheaper approach to housing multiple hatchlings and juveniles using converted totes / storage tubs : viewtopic.php?f=34&t=233480

There is also a strong possibility the "sick'' dragon has been eating the substrate (rabbit pellets). Rabbit pellets are not suitable to be used as the substrate for bearded dragons , especially very young ones , they are an impaction risk.Can you feel any hard lumps in the sick dragon's tummy ? = bad.

Ochobug02 wrote:Hi I just got a bearded dragon a couple of weeks ago maybe three and he was eating good and was active for the first week but now he refuses to eat. I got him a tank mate a week ago and they didn't fight or anything they even sleep together. His tank mate doesn't have any issues with eating and he is usually very active. But my other bearded I noticed that he had lines all over his stomach,

How old are each dragon ?How heave are each of the dragons in grams ?<<<< this is not a coincidence. See my other post.is it stress marks? What do I do? His light bulb is a power sun 140• and his substrate is rabbit pellets.<<< Please remove the pellets immediately and replace with paper toweling for now.His tank is 40 gallons and is glass.Length ?Width ?Height ?UV globe ? and above or below a mesh lid ? type of mesh (5mm , or larger bird mesh)? I give him fresh food and water every day and he has a hide two logs (to bask on) and a reptile hammock.

What is the exact diet ?What is the feeding schedule ?What is the lighting schedule ?

Need more info on your setup, but 2 things you absolutely MUST DO IMMEDIATELY for both your dragons to turn out healthy, grow to the correct size, and thrive as they are supposed to without diseases or injuries:

#1) SEPARATE THEM IMMEDIATELY!! They are solitary animals in the wild, they are not happy nor "sleeping together", that's one beardie dominating the other, and what ALWAYS HAPPENS is one dragon will thrive while the other will stop eating, stop growing, develop MBD, etc. Yes, he's stressed, the other dragon is dominating him by "sleeping with him", getting the best basking spots, etc. They not only each need their own 40 gallon tank (at a minimum), but they each need their own UVB tube and Basking light, digital probe thermometer, decor, etc. AND their enclosures must be stacked on top of each other or in separate rooms so they can't see each other, because they will both be stressed, black bearding, head bobbing, etc. if they can see each other. For now get a plastic tub and put a clamp lamp with a bright white basking bulb (halogen indoor flood bulb) for heat until you can go buy a second UVB tube and fixture, and another 40 gallon tank.

#2) GET RID OF THE RABBIT PELLETS!!! THEY'RE FOR RABBITS!!! Bearded dragons live in the Australian desert, which is hard rock and vegetation, no sand, no gravel, no "crushed walnut shells", no loose substrate at all!!! It is a huge impaction risk, and it harbors and breeds bacteria and fungi. Dump it ALL OUT, disinfect EVERYTHING inside the enclosure and the enclosure itself, and put down clean, dry papertowels that can be thrown away and replaced as they become soiled. You can worry about buying textured ceramic tiles, Non-adhesive shelf liner, carpeting, etc. in EACH enclosure later, after you get both of them into appropriate enclosures of their own with a 10.0 UVB tube and a bright white basking bulb over each.